How states fared on unemployment benefit claims

Weekly applications for unemployment aid dropped last week, a sign that companies are laying off fewer workers and may start hiring more. Applications fell 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 344,000, the Labor Department said.

Here are the states with the biggest changes in applications. The state data is for the week ended Feb. 16, one week behind the national data.

States with the biggest decreases:

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Illinois: Down 3,285, due to fewer layoffs in construction, administrative support, and trade

Kansas: Down 3,114, no reason given

Pennsylvania: Down 2,865, due to fewer layoffs in construction, professional, retail and wood products

Florida: Down 2,442, due to fewer layoffs in construction, agriculture, manufacturing and retail

Ohio: Down 2,265, due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing, transportation, and finance

Missouri: Down 1,748, due to fewer layoffs in manufacturing, administrative support and construction